NEWS FLASH

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Aadhar to be made mandatory for filing I-T return, applying for PAN card

Aadhar to be made mandatory for filing I-T return, applying for PAN card

The government has proposed to make Aadhaar card mandatory for filing
income tax return and also applying for permanent account number (PAN).

The new proposal has been made through an amendment to the Finance Bill.

Recently, the I-T department had announced a mobile app for paying taxes
and tracking of refunds. It had also said it was considering issuing
PANs on real time basis using Aadhaar biometric.

"Income Tax department is considering issuing of Permanent Account
Number (PAN) on a real time basis using Aadhaar's e-KYC facility. The
proposal is at an initial stage of consideration," Minister of State for
Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar had said in a written reply in Lok Sabha
on March 10.

Aadhaar-based e-KYC facility would allow individuals or entities wanting
to apply for PAN to verify details such as date of birth or address by
way of biometric identification using thumb impressions.

So far, more than 111 crore Aadhar numbers have been issued. The unique
identification number is being used for getting a new SIM card, for
opening bank accounts, transfer of subsidies and also for biometric
based digital payments under Aadhaar Enabled Payment System.

As per the government estimate, every year 2.5 crore people across the country apply for PAN cards.